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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Double Rifles
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Saskguy
.224 member


Reged: 30/12/07
Posts: 6
Loc: Canada
cast bullets
      #120590 - 08/12/08 04:21 AM

Just wondering if many shoot cast bullets through there doubles?

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Bill_Cooley
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Reged: 14/12/06
Posts: 197
Loc: Fort Worth, Texas
Re: cast bullets [Re: Saskguy]
      #120641 - 08/12/08 02:47 PM

Saskguy,
Welcome to the forum. Many use cast bullets as practice and small, medium game bullets. You can do a little searching and find several threads on the subject. What rifle/caliber did you have in mind?
Bill

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TedH
.224 member


Reged: 03/09/08
Posts: 19
Loc: USA
Re: cast bullets [Re: Bill_Cooley]
      #120705 - 09/12/08 12:16 PM

I shoot cast exclusively in my 470. Of course I've never been to Africa with it, so my shooting has only been paper punching and stopping the occasional charging whitetail.

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Saskguy
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Reged: 30/12/07
Posts: 6
Loc: Canada
Re: cast bullets [Re: TedH]
      #120726 - 09/12/08 04:32 PM

Have done a search also on this and several other forums, never hurts to try and keep a topic alive. I do realize I probably should have put this in reloading first. Am looking for fellow 450/400 users and wondering where to get moulds and such for it.

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DarylS
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Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27679
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: cast bullets [Re: Saskguy]
      #120730 - 09/12/08 04:44 PM

Saskguy - the first thing to do is to slug your bore to find the bore and more importantly, the groove diameter. With luck you may find easy to procure moulds will be available from RCBS or Lyman.
If a custom mould is necessary, I'd first look to LBT moulds made by Veral Smith. Do a google if necessary. If a custom mould is necessary, lookhim up. The reason I prefer him as the mould will cast the diameter he says it will, from the alloy you specify. If you buy form NEI, you'll be taking a chance with a mould you probably cannot return. LBT moulds cost about the same or a bit less than most other custom moulds. RCBS has a fairly good line of various sized .40 cal moulds.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5561
Loc: United States
Re: cast bullets [Re: TedH]
      #120748 - 10/12/08 12:57 AM

Quote:

I shoot cast exclusively in my 470. Of course I've never been to Africa with it,



Not sure you would have to use anything else.

This topic has popped up from time to time, revolving around use on DG. Some reports I've read elsewhere indicate the possibilities for use of proper alloy/heat treatment for reliable and top performance of cast bullets on DG from big bores that run at 2000-2200 fps.

My own use at slightly lower velocity and with HP's indicates great potential. I suspect somebody has investigated this in-depth, but if so I've never read about it on this Forum.

For example, a 500 grain bullet running at, say, 2050 fps is so close to "normal" CB performance that I believe tweaking it a bit to obtain completely reliable and trustworthy performance would be possible and probably not that difficult.

A tough, non-brittle bullet that would take the rifling, shoot accurately, regulate in a double, resist deformation in-target AND be dirt cheap to shoot lots seems to me to be a prime motivator for experimentation, but likely most big bore owners shoot their rifles so little the savings is not important to them {?}. Most of the time in discussions I've had with "African" or Nitro Expres Big Bore shooters I find a general resistance to using cast bullets as such use seems to violate notions of the "possible" or it's just not "pukka". My hunch is that serious experimentation might find that .458+ caliber FMJ's and SP's aren't even necessary even on DG as long as velocities are held to 2200 or so.

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Edited by 9ThreeXFifty7 (10/12/08 01:00 AM)

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TedH
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Reged: 03/09/08
Posts: 19
Loc: USA
Re: cast bullets [Re: 9.3x57]
      #120768 - 10/12/08 03:16 AM

Quote:



A tough, non-brittle bullet that would take the rifling, shoot accurately, regulate in a double, resist deformation in-target AND be dirt cheap to shoot lots seems to me to be a prime motivator for experimentation, but likely most big bore owners shoot their rifles so little the savings is not important to them



That was exactly what I was after when I began experimenting. What I ended up with was a cast load that will shoot more accurately than the Federal ammunition that my rifle was regulated with, runs at the same velocity (2150), is perfectly regulated, and only costs me $7.00 a box to build rather than $300.00+. If double rifle shooters had that kind of load, I bet they would shoot a lot more than they do with ammo that cost them $15.00 a shot.

Edited by TedH (10/12/08 03:17 AM)

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Tatume
.400 member


Reged: 09/06/07
Posts: 1091
Loc: Gloucester, Va USA
Re: cast bullets [Re: TedH]
      #120773 - 10/12/08 04:14 AM

I like the RCBS 45-405-FN in my 458 Win Mag Ruger # 1.

http://www.midwayusa.com/Eproductpage.Exe/showproduct?saleitemid=632708

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Saskguy
.224 member


Reged: 30/12/07
Posts: 6
Loc: Canada
Re: cast bullets [Re: Tatume]
      #120810 - 10/12/08 02:05 PM

Thanks everyone, Daryl S , I am trying to have some "stuff" ready to go when rifle gets here. I don't want rifle to show up and then have to wait to shoot it!

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27679
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: cast bullets [Re: Saskguy]
      #120854 - 11/12/08 02:29 AM

Saskguy- perhaps whomever is sending this gun to you could e-mail you what the bore dimensions are. For shooting cast, you really need to know whether it is a .406, .410, .412 or .416" on the groove. The longer bullets emulating the 400gr. factory solid have long bore-riding sections. These need to be bore size.
Perfect regualtion and full power loads are possible - but they have to fit well or they won't shoot well.
Straight WW bullets are capable of handling up to about 2000fps with appropriate slow powders keeping pressures low. If hardened and possibly tempered to the correct hardness, they'll take velocities well over this - actually right up to 3,000fps and beyond. Hardened WW's are not brittle at 2,100fps and will give identical performance to FMJ's or can be made with soft points for expansion. The world of cast bullets has come a long way, thanks to people like Veral Smith of Lead bullets Technology.
You need the correct bullet before you can load, but you can have your brass ready - if you know the size of the chamber. It is not fun to have a bunch of ammo built, only to find they don't fit when the gun arrives - been there.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by Daryl_S (11/12/08 02:32 AM)

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